Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various beetles of the family Dermestidae, having larvae that feed chiefly on materials of animal origin such as fur, hides, wool, and stored food.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the Dermestidæ.
  • noun A member of the Dermestidæ.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun zoology Any member of the Dermestidae.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From New Latin Dermēstidae, family name, from Dermēstēs, type genus, from Greek dermēstēs, worm that eats skin or leather, derma, skin; see der- in Indo-European roots, edō, es-, to eat; see ed- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • The bug room is where the dermestid beetle, bred in fish aquariums, feeds on carcasses in order to pick the bones clean, a most efficient way of preparing skeletons and skulls.

    The Memory Palace Mira Bartók 2011

  • The bug room is where the dermestid beetle, bred in fish aquariums, feeds on carcasses in order to pick the bones clean, a most efficient way of preparing skeletons and skulls.

    The Memory Palace Mira Bartók 2011

  • Skulls Unlimited is one of the only facilities in the country to offer full cadaver preparation, meaning that it will transform fleshy bodies into glistening skeletons, with the assistance of dermestid beetles.

    An artistic body of work's bone of contention 2010

  • Yes, it could be a dermestid larva, they are also hairy & we do get them in the basement.

    It was 5 years ago today AYDIN 2009

  • Could that be a dermestid larva, the bane of natural history collections everywhere?

    It was 5 years ago today AYDIN 2009

  • Among the many arthropods we share our home with are dermestid, or carpet, beetles Coleoptera: Dermestidae.

    Archive 2006-04-01 AYDIN 2006

  • This is where they keep millions of hungry dermestid beetles that could devour an adult human in less than 5 minutes.

    Archive 2006-10-01 AYDIN 2006

  • The pictures below show adult dermestid beetles (left) and a larva (right).

    Archive 2006-10-01 AYDIN 2006

  • I noticed that an upside down dermestid beetle rights itself up by opening its wings and pushing itself up.

    Archive 2006-04-01 AYDIN 2006

  • Here is how you can use dermestid beetles to clean the skeletons in your closet!

    Archive 2006-04-01 AYDIN 2006

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